Flowertown Announce Mini LP for Paisley Shirt Records

If your site isn’t covering Flowertown, do you even really like music? Sure, Karina and Mike both have other popular acts to their name (Cindy/Tony Jay), but this isn’t a side-project, at least to my ears. They’re offering up some of the most stunning down-trodden pop you’re going to find this year. Period. Full stop. Whatever. Light percussive elements create a looped background with guitar lines carefully crafted to cruise beneath Karina’s voice. There’s always something in her vocal tones that feels pained, something that just feels so inherently personal when its presented in this fashion…I find that increasingly enchanting. Still, I love the little nuances in their craft, like the beautifully dancing guitar line at 1:50. Tourist Language is out February 29th via Paisley Shirt Records.

Top Albums for Nathan

Honestly, I thought about foregoing a year-end list this year. I mean, if you read our site, you know what we love. But, list making can be fun, especially if you really really love music. My criteria was simple, and not based on what I think is “best,” but rather looking at the stuff I listened to the most, and eventually bought (or was gifted). Popular locals for my Nathan Wrapped have me living on an island in between San Francisco and Australia; label of the year would be Trouble in Mind (congrats to Bill and family!); genre would be: most awesome. Again, this is one man’s personal tastes, take it for what its worth.

Read more

Tony Jay Announces Perfect Worlds LP

Scenes across the US musical landscape tend to move from time to time, and as of the last couple of years, there’s not been a place I’ve gravitated towards, musically speaking, as much as San Francisco. Today, one of the Bay Area’s biggest labels announces a new release by one of the best bands; Slumberland Records will be releasing the next Tony Jay LP! Now, who is Tony Jay? Well, rumor has it that the band is loosely tied to Michael Ramos of Flowertown, but he’s not singing here, so perhaps the vocals have been leant to video director and Cindy powerhouse, Karina Gill? Most importantly, this song feels like that perfect late night lullaby; it hangs in your brain, allowing you to walk between that realm of reality and deep deep sleep. While it all starts with soft vocals over a subdued beat and a ringing guitar note, there’s a turn to a steadier strum that changes the melodic nature, and it will most certainly take your breath away. Look for Perfect Worlds to drop on September 15th.

Last Week’s Jams (4.3 – 4.7)

There was a ton of great music dropping last week, which seems to be the norm for this Spring…not that we mind one bit. I tried to give some love to our Austin friends like Jana Horn and Letting Up Despite Great Faults, who both dropped new releases…and new tunes from Batty Jr. and Born Twins too, so keeping the ATX alive. It was good to hear new stuff from Estonia’s Pia Fraus, who’ve always crafted great landscape shoegaze. New stuff from Cindy and Beach Fossils wasn’t a bad way to slide into the week either, but we closed it out with a fun feature between My Favorite and Holy Wire. Check it all out.

Cindy Share Earthly Belonging Single

If ever there was a band coming through with a new LP that needed praise and adoration then it would absolutely be Cindy…though I’ve been hoping folks would catch on far earlier. Each single that drops from Why Not Now seems to up the ante on the band’s sound, expanding into an almost bouncy bit of pop on their latest. The rhythm section controls the song here, kicking out this steady little gallop that serves as the backbone for a solid vocal performance from Karina Gill. Strangely, this song seems like a natural progression, and in the whole of the record, it doesn’t feel out of place one bit, as the charm they’ve delivered has always been there, they just push it way up front. Seriously, how is this not already one of the best albums on everyone’s list? Go grab a copy of Why Not Now from Mt. St. Mtn.; it drops on April 14th.

Last Week’s Jams (3.13 – 3.17)

We obviously had a busy week being out and about in Austin, but we did cover some tracks early in the week we wanted to remind you of from the likes of Cindy and John Andrew. But, the rest of this week’s playlist of tracks includes singles from all the band’s we caught live and fell in love with during SXSW. Fortunately for you, the three of us all have distinctly different tastes, with lots of overlap, so you’re going to get a pretty varied jam session here this Monday morning. Sit back, and stream on.

Cindy Share the Price is Right

Sure RayRay and I have been out and about at this SXSW thing, but coming home to a fresh Cindy track is a right up there with that New Order show I caught. Honestly, I want to study the band’s execution; they remind me of Bedhead in a strange way, as they’re able to captivate with pure emotion, although the movement on the surface seems minimal. Slight little touches like layering piano in the closing moments build this beautifully textured swell of dense pop music. Going to die on this hill that this might be one of the best group’s in Indie Land at the moment. Their new album Why Not Now will be out April 14th via Mt. St. Mtn.

Last Week’s Jams (2.20 – 2.24)

Even after taking off Monday, we managed to get tons of coverage out there. I was stoked to hear that new Cindy song that I had been promised late last year. RayRay started pushing some of our SXSW introductions out with Pendant and Orions Belte. A handful of Austin acts tossed out new tunes, so check in on Hallo, Space Tan and Transy Warhol…a few who will be playing our just announced ATH vs SOTO SXSW Party. Plus, I got a bonus add by getting an excuse to post a little Braid to this site, on top of including my favorite releases of the week for streaming purposes. Get at it below.

Cindy Announce Why Not Now LP

For all the bands that the masses adore, it makes zero sense to me that Cindy isn’t up there in that upper echelon of indie rock. Perhaps they’re too careful or too quiet, but I’ll be damned if I’m not going to continue to immerse myself in everything they do musically. The video below accompanies the news that the band will release Why Not Now on April 14th, which will likely continue to spin at my house throughout the entirety of the year. There’s something about how the band feel so studied in their craft; there’s not a single note that seems out of place, as if they’ve structurally engineered the perfect pop song. It moves slowly, sure, but carries this solemnity in its melody that I find magnetic. If you’ve not been able to indulge in this band, then by all means, stop waiting. Why Not Now will come out via Mt. St. Mtn. and Tough Love Recordings.

Persona Share Track from Typical Girls 6 Compilation

A few weeks ago we brought you news that Typical Girls 6 was on its way, premiering the striking new track from Cindy. Today, we’ve got another track from UK outfit Persona, with another powerful performance to entice you grab a copy of the album. This song appeared earlier on the band’s Persona EP, but here we get another chance to celebrate the band’s approach to songwriting. Raquel’s aim is to make something weird, according to the bio, using the guitar in a variety of manners to create a sound that stretches our expectations of what rock n’ roll can truly be. It’s a thoughtful poetic motivation, with the guitar sound gently ticking in the background like a metronome keeping pace for us. Typical Girls 6 will be out this Friday via Emotional Response Records, so grab one before they’re all gone!

1 2 3